


It takes a second just to fall in love

by HandmaidenOfHorror



Series: Bisexual Dick AU [1]
Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bisexual Dick Grayson, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:34:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23169397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HandmaidenOfHorror/pseuds/HandmaidenOfHorror
Summary: Dick falls in love too easily for his own good.
Relationships: Apollo/Dick Grayson/Midnighter, Barbara Gordon & Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson/Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson/Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson/Slade Wilson, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: Bisexual Dick AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1698133
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27
Collections: It's All in the Name (Take #1)





	It takes a second just to fall in love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FleetSparrow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FleetSparrow/gifts).



It takes a second just to fall in love. It’s a cliché thing to say but true. It doesn’t necessarily mean romantic love. And some people fall in love easily, perhaps too easily for their own good.

Bruce fell in love with Dick nearly on first sight, though for a long time, his love for him was _agápē,_ the familiar love. Dick’s love for Bruce was also a love on the first sight, but of very different nature – _érōs,_ though the boy only came to realize the depth and nature of his feelings after reaching puberty. Initially, Bruce found his young partner and ward’s attempts to woo him adorable, but as time passed and Dick’s love didn’t change, he found the situation uncomfortable – Bruce thought of Dick as a son, wasn’t he a surrogate father for Dick? The tension eventually caused the two now men to split up, Dick holding a grudge against Bruce, and Bruce feeling relieved inside, even though he missed Dick terribly.

In his time away from Bruce, Dick made dubious choices. Sure, he had a beautiful, strong, red headed space princess for girlfriend, but the cunning older foe his team faced again and again reminded him of Bruce too much. Slade himself realized his attraction and began semi-mockingly flirting with Dick as they fought. As much as he loathed to admit it, his attraction to Slade only grew, and when the man appeared at his doors with roses, wine and condoms, he gave in almost immediately. It was a wrong thing to do, he had a girlfriend and the man was an enemy, but Dick fell too deeply in love, in desperate _érōs,_ with Slade, too deeply to resist.

And obviously it ended up being a very bad decision – the surprise date turned out to be a trap and Dick woke up from his nap after a passionate afternoon kidnapped in an unknown location with his friends and Slade gloating about having slept with him. That was the end of Teen Titans, even though they had won in the end, but at what cost – Donna, Tara (who they still couldn’t believe was a traitor) and Slade himself were dead and Raven had to absorb the consciousness of Slade’s enstranged son, an unexpected rescuer, to save his life, becoming an amalgamation of the two souls and renaming herself, themselves, Raven of Jericho. Starfire furiously broke up with Dick and returned to the stars, and the group disbanded.

In the years afterwards, Dick kept away from relationships – sure, he had a variety of one night stands, but the newer kept the relationships, sometimes cruelly turning away partners who wanted to actually date him, hurting some of dear friends and allies while doing that, including Rachel (though was Raven of Jericho still Raven?), Selina, Helena and Barbara (especially Barbara). Finally, he came to have a long time friends with benefits relationship with one Lucas Trent (an alias, he said, as he doesn’t remember his own name). The man had a husband, Andrew, but the two had an open relationship and Andrew was friendly towards Dick, at one point even joining Lucas in a threesome, but Dick couldn’t help but find the relationship wrong – Lucas was an antihero at best and he _killed people, a lot of people,_ Dick may as well fuck Red Hood—but he had red hair and Dick always made bad decisions.

And then Bruce was dead and Dick felt empty inside. He had barely seen Bruce, mostly as Batman, and never really talked to him ever since their argument over Dick’s attraction led to Bruce benching him as Robin and Dick storming out. And now Bruce was dead, and Dick won’t have a chance to right his wrongs. Dick returned to Gotham, and for the first time in years he stepped into mansion, Alfred crying tears of relief mixing with tears of grief. There were so many people Dick didn’t know and haven’t met before, Bruce’s adopted son and daughter, extended family that also plays heroes (it will end badly for them, Dick was sure), one more Batgirl (Dick lost count how many sidekicks Bruce went through) and, gasp, biological son he had never heard of. He couldn’t leave them.

And so, Dick became Batman. Having experience as a team leader, Dick decided to have the Batfamily operate as a team instead of a collection of a semi-independent heroes. Easier said than done, as Dick didn’t know most of these people. He decided to go to Barbara for help ( _don’t sleep with Barbara_ ). Initially she was semi-hostile, angry both because of the break-up he never apologized for (until now, and Dick tried his damnest to apologize) and because she felt he wanted to take over Birds of Prey (she wasn’t that wrong), but the two heroes talked it over and came up with a conclusion: Batman didn’t take over Birds of Prey, Batman and his closest allies _joined_ Birds of Prey, answering to Oracle who took up residence in Batcave. While Dick and Barbara pretended to be dating to explain her move, it was only pretending ( _mission accomplished_ ).

And thus Dick found himself working with three Batgirls (including his ex Helena, proudly wearing the costume Bruce took away from her), two Robins and counting, and several women with and without bat-related aliases, including Selina, ex girlfriend of both his and Bruce’s. It was kinda awkward and _very_ awkward at first, but they managed. However, Dick realized there’s a problem growing inside the team – namely, Damian was in love with him. Dick felt ambivalent towards the child – he initially disliked him due to his arrogant and selfish behavior, as well as his age meaning that he was born shortly after Dick left Bruce. Was he meant to be replaced? Dick now understood Jason’s anger.

The Birds of Prey made it work, and each member was becoming better and better individually and as a part of the team. Dick was proud of them. He decided to embrace Damian instead of pushing him away (the kid needs this), in time making them perfect partners. In a sense, they were the inverse of his relationship with Bruce – a playful, talkative Batman and a serious Robin. Dick couldn’t help but see more and more of Bruce in Damian. At this time, Damian’s young age kept Dick from falling in love with him, but in the future? Come what may. In the meanwhile, Dick enjoyed the large and diverse family he had.


End file.
